The Parapsychology Revolution: A Concise Anthology of Paranormal and Psychical Research

I have just started reading this, but it is so far an excellent textbook for parapsycology.

I find the possibility of the existence of paranormal phenomena to be a fascinating concept to contemplate, but have been greatly repelled by the sensationalism and lack of scholarship found in popular books on ESP. I can recommend The Parapsychology Revolution as an exception to this popular trend, for it seemed to me the authors did an admirable job in striving for balance and objectivity. For the same reason, this book may not have much appeal to those who are seeking precisely the excitement of reading about extremely abnormal occurrences. Probably the most striking accounts are those of clairvoyance and telepathy, and the incidents of people who have received hallucinatory visitations from dying friends or loved ones. Most of the material covered is less dramatic by far, and is anomalous only in that the odds of a given event happening are less than normal, such as guessing correctly a hidden card. Although taking a reservedly favorable stance on Psi abilities, the authors are quick to point out there has been a great amount of fraud in this field, and they recount some of those. For me, the material anthologized varied greatly in its ability to hold my interest. For instance, William James' piece on his dealings with a medium and the positive, but qualified conclusions he drew from this experience were quite compelling, given the stature of his reputation. Others, though perhaps just as relevant, lost me because of their focus on statistical formulas and data. I have to say that the editorial remarks of the authors were probably the most interesting parts overall. I thought they did an excellent job of presenting the historical development of this area of study, with its dedicated seekers after truth, its charlatans, its well-intentioned but gullible zealots, and the professional skeptics who are more concerned with agendas than truth. The summing up following the anthology is a convincing argument in favor of continuing to study the paranormal because of the potential for powerful new tools of knowing and for the possibility of expanding our knowledge of ourselves and our place in the system of the universe.

Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D. and Logan Yonavjak take a bold no-nonsense approach in their thoroughly examined, comprehensive compilation of serious research regarding different aspects of the paranormal including scientifically based findings and conclusions within the last century or so in their book The Parapsychology Revolution. In a rather rigorous review of up to date psi research, Schoch and Yonavjak explore well-documented observations and reports of things unknown and unexplained such as esp, telepathy, clairvoyance, distance healing, remote viewing, and poltergeist activity. Perhaps the time has come to bring the study of anomalies out of the closet and into the light where exploration of truth may dissipate the fear which keeps it there. I found this anthology (along with personal comments and experiences by the authors) a must read for skeptics and students alike as it does justice to both pure science and that which is currently considered its evil opposition, bringing a sort of unity to both. In our search for truth may we never loose our sense of awe (even if we have to stand behind the scientific lens of perception).